Joel Godard

Joel Clinton Godard Jr. (born March 31, 1938) is an American television announcer and voiceover artist, best known as the announcer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien during its entire 16-year run from 1993 to 2009. Early life Godard attended Emory University, and earned his AB in 1960 with a double major in chemistry and pre-med. He was accepted into the school's medical program, but instead chose to try a career in the entertainment industry. Around 1968, Godard worked three jobs at the same time while living in Macon, Georgia: analyzing electroplating solutions at Maxson Electronics; acting as a news anchor and "stand-up weatherman" for WMAZ-TV; and as a licensed pilot for Lowe Aviation. He served as a production assistant at WMAZ radio in 1970. Career During the early 1980s, Godard had roles in the made-for-TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones and the TBS soap opera The Caitlins. In the 1980s and 1990s, Godard made voiceover appearances on Saturday Night Live, NBC Nightly News, and Issues and Answers. Around 1986, he became an NBC staff announcer. Godard was the voice of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 2000 to 2010. In 2014, he starred in a series of online comedy shorts by Turtle with Lemonade Productions, entitled "Little Known Moments in American History."